NET offers ‘Last Days in Vietnam’ screening

· 2 min read

NET offers ‘Last Days in Vietnam’ screening

NET will present a 30-minute preview screening of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Last Days in Vietnam” at 6:30 p.m. March 26, in the Ted Sorensen Theatre at Lincoln High School, 2229 J St.

Admission is free, and the event is open to the public. Doors open at 6 p.m.

“Last Days in Vietnam” chronicles the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, as the North Vietnamese Army advanced on Saigon. As cities and villages fell, U.S. diplomats and military operatives contemplated withdrawl. With the lives of thousands of South Vietnamese hanging in the balance, those in control faced an impossible choice — who would go and who would be left behind to face brutality, imprisonment or even death.

A panel discussion will follow the screening.

The panel will be moderated by Mike Tobias, senior producer/reporter with NET News. Panelists will include Dau Nguyen, president of the Vietnamese Community of Lincoln and a survivor of the fall of Saigon who served alongside American forces in Vietnam; Kiem Do, a South Vietnam Navy captain who served with Nguyen and was the Vietnamese Navy’s deputy chief of staff for operations during the war; Kevin Bower, associate professor of history and director of historical studies at Nebraska Wesleyan University; and Hugh Doyle, U.S. Navy commander (retired) who was the chief engineer on the U.S.S. Kirk, which had a major role in the evacuation of South Vietnamese citizens.

Lincoln is the nation’s 18th largest resettlement area for Asian refugees and immigrants, which all began with the Vietnamese in the 1970s. Nebraska has become fifth in refugee resettlement per capita.

“Last Days in Vietnam” is part of Vietnam War-related programming on NET the week of April 27. Directed by Rory Kennedy and airing in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the film will premiere on NET as an “American Experience” presentation, 8 to 10 p.m., April 28.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTWX-BB4aAA

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